


Sillage

by orphan_account



Series: the beautiful and the profound (words) [6]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Guilt, Interrogation, Investigations, M/M, Missing Persons, Self Harm, admittance of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 14:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10618593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: (n.) the scent that lingers in air, the trail left in water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone; the trace of someone’s perfume.“Tyler Joseph aged 17 years was last seen two months ago at his family home in Columbus, Ohio. Police and Family are urging anyone who may know his whereabouts to come forward and contact this number: X XXX XXX XXX. Police say the investigation is ongoing.”





	

“Tyler Joseph aged 17 years was last seen two months ago at his family home in Columbus, Ohio. Police and Family are urging anyone who may know his whereabouts to come forward and contact this number: X XXX XXX XXX. Police say the investigation is ongoing.”

-

“A 19-year-old boy from Columbus, Ohio has been arrested in connection to a missing persons case. Tyler Joseph was reported missing four months ago, the suspect, Joshua Dun was arrested after it was reported that CCTV footage showed Joseph getting into his car around 1am on the 5th, the day he disappeared at a gas station on the other side of Ohio. Dun was reportedly good friends with the teen, who’s whereabouts are still unknown, Dun also has no priors with family and friends describing him “as the sweetest boy they knew”. Dun has yet to be charged, and police confirm the investigation is far from over.”

The television cut abruptly to black causing the two girls watching intently to jump and turn around. The shrunk under their father’s intense gaze. 

“Dad what happened?” the eldest of the two red heads asked. 

“They’re keeping your brother in overnight while they gather evidence.” He sighed, rubbing his tired face with his hands. He flopped down onto the couch in defeat and immediately the two girls sat beside him, holding him close. 

“It’s going to be okay, Josh is innocent.” The younger of the two said hopefully, but clung tightly to her father nonetheless. 

“He has no alibi for after he was seen with Tyler, none of us were awake when he got home, his only hope is Tyler and he’s the one that’s missing.” 

“We are not giving up hope, he has no alibi but they’ll have no evidence, Josh is innocent.” The eldest daughter repeated, feigning confidence. 

“Josh will be okay.” He assures his daughters one more time. 

-

The next day saw Josh being dumped onto his family’s porch, a brisk knock on the front door rousing Mr. Dun from his breakfast. 

“Josh.” He gasped, pulling his son into his chest in relief, his son immediately burst into tears. He looked exhausted not just on the outside, but as though the events had taken a toll on his soul as well, it made his father grip him tighter and his jaw tighten. Before he could make a comment to the officer who handed him over a piece of paper was thrust into his face, reluctantly he took it so he could read it. 

“Oh for God’s sake don’t you people have real leads you could be chasing this is ridiculous.” He protested before signalling for his son to get himself inside and to bed.   
“Failure to co-operate could be seen as justice perversion Sir, you’re inclined to co-operate with us or we will arrest you, that is a judge provided warrant.” The officer said, pursing his lips in displeasure. 

“Fine. Take the damn car in, but you won’t find anything, my son is innocent.” Mr. Dun seethed as he slammed the door shut in the officer’s face. 

A few hours later there was a disturbance on the Dun’s front drive as Josh’s car was placed onto the back of a tow truck and taken in to be swiped for evidence. All four Dun kids hovered in the window to watch, neither one saying a word, all staring like zombies out through the glass at the scene. 

“Come away from there.” Mr. Dun warned, aware of the photographers who had pitched up the day before when Josh had been arrested. 

“Josh?” The youngest Dun looked up at her brother. 

“Yeah Abs?” He smiled wrapping an arm around her as they walked to the kitchen, where they ate, for lunch. 

“They’re not gonna find any evidence, right? Because you’re innocent? You wouldn’t hurt Tyler?” She seemed afraid to ask but the twelve-year-old needed reassurance. Josh stopped walking, turning to look at his sister. 

“I loved Tyler. So much.” His eyes stung with emotions that threatened to spill over but he didn’t let them. “I could never hurt him, and if someone has hurt him then I’ll spend my life hunting them down, I promise okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled weakly and let her brother kiss her forehead before they went to eat. 

-

“Joshua Dun I’m arresting you in connection with the disappearance of Tyler Joseph, you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you fail to mention something, when questioned, which you may later rely on in court. you have the right to an attorney, the right to a free and fair trial…” As his Miranda Rights were being read to him, and the cool harsh metal was clicked into place Josh’s hearing zoned out, instead replaced by white noise, he didn’t hear his brother’s distressed yells, or his sister’s tears or the way his father demanded he come with him. The cops ignored all of it, simply reciting their speech before tugging him out of the door of his family home. 

Josh didn’t stop staring into nothing as cameras flashed in his face and reporters shouted questions. He felt arms wrap around him, and for a second his mind followed where it had been headed and for a moment of pure bliss he thought Tyler was the one holding onto him, Tyler had returned from wherever he vanished but as he turned, and reality and the sounds and shapes around him snapped back into sharp focus he was just in time to see Ashley being pulled off of him, screaming and kicking. 

“I love you, look after Abs and Dad okay?” Josh said as some stray tears fell down his cheek and he was roughly shoved into the back of the cop car. His chest ached, every breath a sharp shooting pain in his ribs as he fought to keep it together. 

-

They placed him in the same grey cold metallic room as two days prior. Josh had no idea how long they’d sat him in there, it felt like it could’ve been minutes or it could’ve been days he’d have no clue either way. Suddenly a man was entering the room, in a sleek blue suit with a brief case. He sat opposite Josh. 

“Hello Joshua, my name is Dallon Weekes, I’ll be your attorney if that’s okay?”

Josh nodded shyly, hunching over the table to rest on his forearms. 

“Now, we only have about ten minutes.” Dallon checked his watch before pulling out a notepad and pen from his case. He placed them on the table. “Let’s get this sorted okay?” He said gently and Josh nodded, with a weak thank you. “They’re not going to lay out the charges first, they’ll just ask you questions, I’ll instruct you on whether or not you can answer them, you’re young so they might try to manipulate your responses to deal with this. It’s a time-sensitive case so they’ll be feeling pressure to close it, but I will make sure they don’t charge you with anything you didn’t do.”

Josh nodded again before letting him brief Josh on what do in the interview, Josh assuring him that he was innocent and Dallon simply nodding, eyes warm with assurance. 

The door opened ten minutes later and two detectives entered the room. Dallon moved from his seat opposite Josh to sit beside him. They handed Josh and Dallon cups of water as they sat down, Josh gulped half of it down immediately, dehydrated from all the crying he’d done before he arrived. 

“Hello Joshua, we’re going to record this interrogation as protocol okay?” The female said calmly and he nodded, she smiled before pressing the tapes and saying the date and time. 

“Interviewers present are DI Williams and DI Wentz. Suspect’s name is Joshua Dun, represented by Dallon Weekes.” 

“Okay, now first things first can you simply state your name age and where you live please?” DI Wentz asked, Josh’s gaze flickered to Dallon who nodded. 

“Joshua William Dun, 19, Columbus Ohio.” He couldn’t stop shaking and he knew that the adults surrounding him could see it too. 

“Perfect, so before I get into why you’re here Joshua, can you just tell us, for the purpose of the tapes, what your connection to Tyler Joseph was?”  
Dallon nodded so Josh spoke. “He was my best friend, I guess.”

“You guess?” Wentz pressed and Josh shied away from his gaze. “Can you elaborate on that for me?”

“I- The last time I saw him we-he told me that.” Josh’s voice broke as a slow tear ran down his cheek. “that he loved me and I thought he meant it but I guess not.” Josh wiped at the tear bitterly, sitting back in his chair. 

“So you were in love with him?” Williams said cautiously, obviously feeling sorry for him. Josh nodded weakly. “For the purpose of the tapes; Joshua just nodded.” She added. 

“How did you two meet?” Williams asked sitting forward in her chair. 

“I used to play drums in a band about a year and a half ago, he heard about us from a mutual friend so he came to the show and he stuck around afterwards, introduced himself and we started talking and then we just couldn’t stop, we talked all night maybe? After that we were always hanging out after school and then whenever I wasn’t working.” Josh smiled at the fond memory before it was tainted with a pang of sadness. 

“When exactly was the last time you saw Tyler, please Joshua?” Wentz continued. 

“The night of the 4th or the morning of the 5th I guess, we were out pretty late.” Josh’s voice was thick with his blocked nose from all the cry, he sniffed heavily and wiped his eyes, desperate to regain control of his emotions again. 

“How late?”

“I think I got home about 3am.”

“And what time did Tyler get home do you think? Or did Tyler not go home?”

“I dropped him at his house about 10 minutes before I got home, we don’t live that far from each other.”

“So you saw Tyler re-enter his home before you drove off?” Williams questioned. 

“Yes, no,” Josh squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know, he was entering his house as I drove off, I think, I already told you all of this.” Josh said frustrated, rubbing his face with a hand. 

“So you saw him entering his house before you drove off but you didn’t see him fully enter and close the door behind himself?” Williams specified. 

“Ye-yes.” Josh said, his head pounding, he took a shaky sip of his water. 

“Why were you two out that night?”

“We always do it, Tyler doesn’t really sleep, he texts me and asks me to pick him up and then we just, drive around a bit.”

“And what do you do when you drive around?” Wentz pushed. 

Josh shrugged. “I don’t know, talk mainly, sometimes we go to the overpass and sit and sometimes we go to get food, sometimes we just go out to the corn fields and park somewhere off road and look at the stars, I let him decide.”

“How often would you say you did this?” Wentz pushed. 

“At least twice a week, sometimes more, we’ve been doing it ever since we became friends.” 

“And did you always stay out ‘til 3am?” Williams asked. 

“Yeah, sometimes earlier, like 2am if it was a school night, he’d protest but I’d make sure he went to bed because school is important, he- he was gonna get a scholarship and I wanted him to get it ya know? I wanted him to get out of here.”

“So on the night of the 4th he text you and asked to hang out like normal? Nothing was suspicious?”

“He text me around 10 when his parents headed to bed and I picked him up at half 11 like we always do, he didn’t seem off when he text me, but then-“ Josh stopped as he remembered the way Tyler had seemed so jittery when he’d got in the car. _Shaking like a leaf in the wind, but Josh had asked if he was okay and Tyler had promised he’d never been more sure of anything as the fact that he was alright as long as Josh was around. Josh’s cheeks had flushed bright red to the tips of his ears as they smiled at each other and Josh had held his hand and asked where Tyler wanted to go. Tyler had simply demanded that they drive through as much of downtown Columbus as they could in the short time they had._ Josh hadn’t even questioned it. He recounted the story to the detectives who simply nodded. 

“So is that why you were spotted at a gas station at 1.45am on the 5th almost an hour away from your homes?”

Josh nodded. “Yes, I was running low on gas so we stopped to buy some, Tyler wanted a red bull so we went inside paid and then I started driving us home, because I knew he was supposed to be at school the next day.”

“Do you share the car with anyone? A family member maybe?”

“No- I mean, I will have to after my sister graduates but for now it’s just mine.”

The detectives nodded, before the female reached into the case file in front of her and began pulling out evidence photos taken of the inside of Josh’s car, she stated the serial numbers on the evidence for the tapes before pushing them in Josh’s direction. “Joshua can you confirm that these were in fact taken in your car?”

“Yes?”

“What’s circled here,” she gestured to the red circles draw on the image, “are blood stains, DNA match is positive with Tyler’s. Care to explain how that got there?”

Josh gulped. Looking at Dallon with wide eyes. “The dating is close to the time of his disappearance Joshua. Not to mention we found a sweatshirt in the trunk, with more blood on it.” Wentz stated. 

“I- He did it to himself.” Josh said and Dallon looked like he was about to snap his pen he gave Josh a look to stop talking but Josh wasn’t about to let them sit there and accuse him of hurting his best friend. The one person he cared about most in the world.

“What do you mean by that Joshua? Do you think he brought it upon himself?” Wentz spat harshly. Josh whimpered. 

“Objection you’re putting words in my clients’ mouth.” Dallon argued. 

“Am I Joshua?” Wentz searched his face intently. “Or am I right?”

There was a pause as Josh felt his pulse sloshing in his ears.

“Oh come on,” Wentz continued. “You were the last to see him alive, you said he told you he loved you? Or did you tell him, and he rejected you, told you he was planning to run away so you killed him-”

“NO”

“-you killed him and you hid the body and you hoped it would all go away.” Wentz slammed his hand on the table and Josh burst into tears. “Did you not tell his sister and I quote ‘this is my fault’ after you were told he was missing?”

“You’re wrong!” Josh stood from the table his whole body shaking, a line of snot spread across his lips that he wiped with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“You need to get your detective under control.” Dallon said firmly looking at Williams. She nodded her face flustered and angry. She pulled her detective by the arm. “Interview paused at 4.38pm.” She clicked off the recorder before yanking her partner out of the room. 

Josh felt the panic attack crash down on him like a wave over the rocks, his breathing shallow as he slowly sat back down. 

“They- they think he’s dead?” The words terrified him, ice shot down his spine, he really couldn’t breathe. 

“Hey, hey it’s alright.” Dallon soothed, rubbing his back. “But, Josh if you know why his blood is in your car, you need to tell them.” He added carefully. Josh rubbed his eyes again but nodded slowly. Just then detective Williams returned to the room and resumed the tape. 

“Apologies for that Joshua, now disregarding prior few minutes in which my co-worker accused you of a crime we have no reason to suspect you of. Now can we get back to you telling me why Tyler’s blood was in your car?” She smiled prettily and Josh took a deep breath, glancing at Dallon for reassurance. He nodded his encouragement. 

“A-about two weeks before he disappeared he-” Josh felt bile rise in his throat at the memory but he swallowed it. Closing his eyes hard to block out the sight, but it was already playing like a horror movie behind his eyes. Josh willed himself to keep talking. 

_Tyler hadn’t talked to him all evening, and Josh had practically jumped when his phone had rung. He answered immediately, “Tyler?”_

_“J-josh.” His voice sounded too far away, his breathing ragged._

_“I’m here what’s wrong?” Josh immediately began fumbling for his hoodie and his shoes, sandwiching the phone between his cheek and his shoulder as he struggled to put them on._

_“I-I made a mistake.”_

_“Where are you? Are you in your house? I’m coming to get you.”_

_“Jos-Josh I- there’s so much blood, oh god, there’s so much-” Tyler sounded weak and distraught. Josh was already running to his car._

_“Tyler, hang in there, baby, okay?” Josh wanted to slap himself as the pet name slipped out but Tyler let out a weak chuckle as Josh fumbled to put the phone on speaker and in the holder so he could keep talking while he drove, his hands shaking._

_“I like that.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Yeah, I like it when-” He trailed off and Josh panicked._

_“You like it when I call you baby?” He prompted desperately._

_“It makes m-me feel safe.” Tyler choked out._

_“Good. Now keep talking to me okay baby boy? Tell me- tell me something that makes you happy?” He was definitely speeding but he was almost there._

_“Y-you, you make me,” he took a deep breath, “so happy.”_

_“I do?” Josh sniffed trying to swallow the panic, Tyler whimpered, his voice sounding far away again. “Tell me why?”_

_“Be-because you’re like the sun why wouldn’t you make anyone who met you happy?” Josh wanted to cry but he fought through it, pulling up outside of Tyler’s house._

_“It h-hurts Josh, there’s so much-I’m sorry.” He could hear Tyler sobbing and he felt adrenaline pump through his veins, climbing the tree outside Tyler’s window at lightning speed, only to find the window half open, he scrambled inside and ran to the bathroom._

_“Tyler.” He said opening the door, not caring if any of Tyler’s family were home, if they were, they deserved to know. He wasn’t prepared for the sight. Tyler was lay in a pool of his own blood; it was all over his clothes a large gash on his stomach seemingly the cause. Josh took a deep breath, he scrambled for a towel, pressing it to the wound. Tyler dropped the phone from where it was weakly holding it to his ear. He attempted a weak smile but his eyes were fluttering._

_“I’m so sorry.” Tyler sobbed again as Josh moved him into his lap. Not caring that he got blood on his hoodie._

_“It’s okay baby, you’re okay.” Josh soothed, brushing sweaty locks of hair off Tyler’s face. The towel wasn’t helping, “Shit.”_

_Without another word Josh scooped Tyler up in his arms, he ran out of the house only pausing to shut the door, hoping it locked behind him. “Hang in there okay?’ Josh said, placing a soft kiss to his forehead as he put Tyler on the backseat. Tyler nodded sleepily._

_Josh immediately began driving to the hospital, playing the radio loud enough for Tyler to hear as he tried to keep him singing along, to keep him conscious._

_“Help me please!” he shouted as he held Tyler in his arms in the middle of the hospital entrance. A handful of nurses gasped at the blood and the unconscious boy in Josh’s arms taking him and wheeling him away, immediately shouting about surgery._

_Josh remembers the sheer terror of watching him be wheeled away and the overwhelming relief when he was told Tyler was going to be alright. Relief that was ripped away when the terror came back when Josh woke to a world where Tyler went missing._

“Do you have anyone who can confirm this story?” Detective Williams asked tenderly, snapping Josh back to the present. 

“Uh, his sister Madison, she- I called her after I got to the hospital, she went home and cleaned up the bathroom before his parents got home. His parents know he was in hospital but, he- he told them it was a basketball injury.” The detective nodded and scribbled on her notepad. 

“And the hoodie in the trunk, that was the one you were wearing when you found him?” 

“Yes. I didn’t mean to leave it there I just, I couldn’t bear to look at it, to remember how he-” Josh choked and Detective Williams gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“You really cared for him didn’t you Joshua?” 

Josh nodded sniffling again. “I love him, I would never hurt him please, you have to believe me.” 

She nodded. “If we can corroborate your story then you will be free to-”

She was cut off by Wentz entering the interrogation room, they hurried up to her and began whispering frantically in her ear. 

“For the purpose of the tapes: DI Wentz has entered the room to deliver some news, as a result this interview is terminated at 5.26pm.”

Josh blinked up at them. “What’s going on here?” Dallon asked straightening his jacket. 

“Josh is free to go; it seems Tyler Joseph just walked into his family home.”

Josh felt sure he was dreaming, there was no way he had heard that right. Tyler was back? Just like that? 

He was in shock as he let himself be pulled from the interrogation room and put into a police car, he stared out at the sky and cried thanking everything out there, Fate, God, Gods plural, whatever. He didn’t even care that he was off the hook, he only cared that Tyler was alive and home. Tyler was home. 

Josh finally woke from his daze as he was being handed over to his father, he stopped him from starting a fight with cop before he was telling his dad he had to go see Tyler. He ran past his father snatching up his trucks keys, running out the door, ignoring everyone just focusing on getting straight to Tyler’s house. 

When he got there, he was swarmed with paparazzi, but he ignored them, pushing straight to the door, and ringing the doorbell frantically. 

“Josh?” Maddie gasped as she opened the door, immediately pulling him inside away from the constant clicking of cameras. 

Josh froze as he was ushered into the living room, his eyes locked directly onto familiar brown doe eyes and he felt all the air leave his body, he felt like he was floating. 

Tyler looked older, more than just four months, like his adult face had started to come in, he’d lost weight making his jawline stronger, a light scruff dusting it. Josh took in every detail, the spot on his cheek, the small smile lines on his eyes, a small shaving cut, it was like his memories had been slightly blurred, clouded in the soft focus of bittersweet fondness, but now he was here in the flesh, in HD and he was real and perfect and Josh couldn’t breathe. 

Tyler’s family excused themselves half way through the staring contest. 

Then Josh was charging across the room, grabbing Tyler by the shirt, he raised his fist as though he was about to hit him. 

“I deserve it.” Tyler said, his voice thick like honey and suddenly Josh was crumbling, pulling Tyler by the shirt flush against him so their lips crashed together fierce and desperate. Tyler responded instantly. 

They kissed hotly for as long as Josh could bear until he was suffocating and he had no choice but to pull away. “Four months.” He said breathless, angry. 

“I know.” Tyler rested their forehead’s together. 

“Why- Why now?” He asked. 

“For you.” Tyler said instantly just as out of breath from the kiss of the century. 

“Well, shit you really picked a heck of a time to remember me, when they were about to send me down for your murder.” Josh spat, adrenaline and anger finally settling now that the relief he was okay had worn off. He stood back finally, away from the heat and the smell that was just so Tyler, he instantly regretted it and wanted to hold him close again but he had to stay mad for a few more minutes he allowed himself, after the hell he had been through. 

“That’s why, I found out they arrested you and I came straight back for you. Josh, I-” Tyler took a step towards him but froze again. 

“How did you find out? The news?” Josh asked brow furrowed, he didn’t think this was national news and lord knows how far away Tyler had gotten in four months. 

“Brendon told me.” Tyler replied awkwardly suddenly fascinated by the laces of his shoes.

“Who the fuck is Brendon and why does he get to know where you went but not me?” Josh felt his chest break in half. 

“He’s my friend from school.” Tyler mumbled. 

“So I’m not your friend?” Josh asked hurt stepping closer to Tyler so they were chest to chest again. 

“You’re more than that Josh, I meant everything I said before I left, I-I couldn’t leave without telling you the truth.” Tyler’s gaze was soft as it met Josh, Josh immediately rested his head onto Tyler’s again. 

“Then why not trust me with this?” Josh knew he was about to cry and he almost rolled his eyes, he’d never cried so much in his life he hated it, it was exhausting. 

“Because you would convince me to stay.” Tyler breathed out as though the words terrified him. 

“Of course I would try to get you to stay, I love you.” Josh said, putting the words out there for the first time since the night Tyler had ran away. “I- I thought you hated me, that I scared you away and you didn’t want me.” Tyler wiped the tears off Josh’s cheeks with his thumbs, his own eyes watering as he shook his head. 

“Never, I will always want you Josh Dun. I love you so much, I’m so sorry I left you.” Tyler promised, kissing him desperately, both of them clinging to one another for dear life, as though they were about to fall off a ledge and the other was the only thing keeping them upright. “I thought you’d be better off without me.”

“Don’t you dare say that to me ever again.” Josh replied angrily, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to my sorry existence. And don’t you ever,” he poked his chest, “ _ever_ leave without me again.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Tyler promised before pushing his lips onto Josh’s once again, the past four months filtering away like sand through a sieve, the past 24 hours only helping Josh reconfirm that he will never let Tyler disappear again.

**Author's Note:**

> ((might make a part two let me know what you think??))


End file.
